


Future

by doridoripawaa



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Flustered Dorothea, LGBTQ Female Character, Sapphic September
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-10 04:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20522090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doridoripawaa/pseuds/doridoripawaa
Summary: Dorothea wants someone to take care of her. Byleth knows someone who can help.





	Future

"I'll see you tomorrow, then? I'm looking forward to it!"  
  
The brunette flashed her dazzling smile, one that had captured the hearts of audiences time and time again. Her charm once again succeeded in enrapturing a poor unsuspecting individual, as the knight she was speaking to could barely manage to sputter out a reply. "Y-yes! See you tomorrow!"  
  
He took off in a hurry, although his scrambling steps were rather lopsided. The diva chuckled softly as she watched her date stumble away. Perhaps he was a little naive and clumsy on foot, but his skill in riding a horse was impressive. If she had such a majestic cavalier to protect her throughout her life, then --  
  
"Dorothea?"  
  
The girl's blood ran cold as she heard a very familiar, very intimidating voice. She stretched her lips into her most convincing smile and turned around to face her professor. "Professor Byleth!" she exclaimed as cheerfully as she could. "How long have you been standing there?" She giggled softly, trying to keep up her playful and innocent act as long as she could. If possible, she would like to dance around the topic hanging over them thickly in the air.  
  
"That was a different knight than I saw you with yesterday." Byleth, however, was cutting right to the point. The former mercenary apparently had not learned much about tact in her lifetime.  
  
Dorothea winced internally, but the actress in her was able to keep up her naive facade. Much to her surprise, Byleth's tone was not at all judgmental. On the contrary, she just seemed... perplexed. The brunette calmly lifted her head to make eye contact with her professor, but staring directly into Byleth's eyes was a challenge in itself. They were a deep blue that was deeper than the ocean, and perhaps murkier as well. The eyes were supposed to be a window to the soul, but Dorothea could never read into Byleth's eyes to figure out what she was thinking.  
  
Despite that, the professor's eyes seemed to see right through her. "Are you actually serious about these men, Dorothea?"  
  
Serious? What a silly question. "I'm serious about my future, Professor. I come from nothing. I'm a commoner without any riches to look forward to." She felt her palms getting sweaty, and so she carefully clenched her hands into fists. "I need to ensure that I have a place to go once I... am no longer suitable for the opera." She knew her time was limited. She had to capitalize on her beauty and fame before time ran out. Before the fairy tale ended.  
  
"Is that what you really want?" For the first time, Byleth's tone was not flat and analytical, like when she instructed lessons or gave advice. Either Dorothea was a victim of wishful thinking, or her professor sounded genuinely... concerned. "Do you want to just flirt with random knights day in and day out?"  
  
Dorothea's lip curled up into a smirk. "I'm flattered that you're jealous, Professor."  
  
Byleth shook her head, and Dorothea was almost disappointed to see that her comment had not flustered the blue-haired woman one bit. "I want to make sure that my students are happy and successful. Taking a path like that, I'm not sure that you will be either."  
  
A fierce blush raced across Dorothea's face, and a snappy retort jumped up inside her throat. "Are you saying you'll take responsibility for me, Professor? Otherwise, I will be the one in control of my life, thank you very much!"  
  
Byleth blinked, slightly taken aback by the usually cheerful and smooth singer's sudden outburst. "Very well," she murmured. "I will take responsibility for your future."  
  
What... did that mean? Before Dorothea had a chance to ask, a flash of platinum blonde hair appeared out of the corner of her eye and took her breath away. "H-hello, Edie!"  
  
Edelgard nodded in acknowledgement of her classmate's greeting. "Good morning, Dorothea," she said simply before turning to Byleth. "My Professor, I wish to discuss some battle plans I devised in preparation for the Battle of Eagle and Lion. Will you accept my input?"  
  
As the two tacticians walked away discussing strategies, Dorothea stood dumbfounded in the middle of the main hall. 'Just what exactly is that woman thinking?'

* * *

Time does not heal all wounds.

However, as time goes on, it can put patches on them that make the wounds appear as good as new.

Losing Byleth was a deep cut in Dorothea's life. But the day she reappeared was nothing short of a miracle. As torn up as she was by this war, in both body and soul, she almost felt as though some light had once again illuminated her gloomy path.

However, things had changed over the years. Not just for Dorothea, but for Byleth too. Those piercing, formerly blue eyes were now as brilliant as emeralds yet as murky as the darkest forest in the dead of night. Dorothea still could not see into Byleth's heart, as if she did not have her own.

Yet Byleth could still see right through her.

"Dorothea, is something bothering you?"

The opera singer nearly jumped out of her skin when her former professor came up behind her. "My, my, Professor, you'll give an old girl like me a heart attack if you do that."

"Old?" Byleth echoed, but then she shook her head and carried on with the conversation. "You wanted to speak about something, yes?"

Dorothea nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, um... It's about our next course of action."

Byleth smiled softly. "I do not remember you being so interested in battle before, Dorothea. You were always so keen to find someone to protect you."

The brunette chuckled sadly and lowered her eyes. "Well, the situation is different now. There are only thorns left on this rose," she muttered bitterly. While she had faith in Emperor Edelgard's vision and ideals, and that their path would lead to peace and justice, the warfare they had to endure in the meantime was... brutal. She could not bear to see any more of her former classmates on the opposite side of the battlefield. She could not bear to hear their screams, once full of joy and wonder for the future, now full of agony and pain--

"Dorothea?"

Dorothea snapped back to reality at the sound of her professor's voice. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I was... processing what you said."

Byleth did not seem convinced by this explanation, but nevertheless she nodded and started over. "Right. El and I were just discussing this. What El said--"

El. El El El. "When did you and Edie get so close?"

"Pardon?" A question that was not at all tainted with hostility or disgruntlement at being interrupted. Instead, it was genuinely curious. "El and I? Well, we have naturally bonded over the course of the war. We often shared a cup of earl grey tea back in the day, too, and that tradition has continued." She stared into the distance wistfully. "I'm glad that some things have not changed." A sudden smirk stretched onto her normally emotionless face. "Dorothea..."

"Yes?" She could feel her face turning hotter by the second. What was with that glint in Byleth's eye?

"I'm flattered that you're jealous."

"Jealous?!" Dorothea exclaimed indignantly. "O-of course not. I just..." Her cheeks were definitely on fire. They were probably a brighter red than her dress. "You did not forget, did you?"

Byleth tilted her head to the side.

She did forget! "Five years ago you promised... Well, it was not exactly a promise, but you did tell me..." Why was this so difficult? Normally these types of affairs were so easy for her to navigate. Usually she was the puppetmaster, but now she was merely dangling on the end of Byleth's string.

"That I would take responsibility for your future." Flat words. Unreadable expression.

"So you do remember," Dorothea muttered. "Yes, that. So please do not forget that you are not only responsible for Edelgard's future, but mine as well. All of our futures lie in your hands." She reached forward and grasped both of Byleth's hands in her own. "Okay?" She winked at Byleth, trying to conceal her own internal chaos. Could she fake it, or had her acting skills deteriorated over the years?

"It will be my honor, my rose," Byleth whispered. She leaned forward to plant a kiss on Dorothea's hand. "We will see the future together."

What kind of future would they create?


End file.
